Air launched cruise missile (alcm) restraint assembly

ABSTRACT

A ground transporter for air launched missiles. The transporter is constructed by bolting two pairs of &#34;H&#34; beams across a flat-bed trailer. The bolts are applied through holes in the bottom flanges of the &#34;H&#34; beams. A pair of missile handling units are then bolted to each pair of &#34;H&#34; beams. The missile handling units are bolted at each of their ends to the top flanges of the &#34;H&#34; beams. Steel bushings add structural support to the bolt holes through the wooden beams of the trailer bed and hillside washers are used on the bolts through the &#34;H&#34; beams and the side &#34;C&#34; channel rails of the trailer bed.

RIGHTS OF THE GOVERNMENT

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or forthe Government of the United States for all governmental purposeswithout the payment of any royalty.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to transporting equipment andmore specifically to missile transporters.

Transporting air launched missiles from storage to maintenance areas andacross runways to attach to aircraft requires transporters that areextremely stable and secure, especially for transporting air launchedmissiles containing nuclear warheads. Existing missile transporters areadequate for transporting conventional air launched non-nuclearmissiles. but are not stable or secure enough to meet nuclear safetyrequirements. The proposed costs for developing new air launched missiletransporters are extremely high. It is seen that there is a need for asafe and inexpensive transporter for air launched nuclear missiles.

It is, therefore, a principal object of the present invention to providea safe and inexpensive transporter for air launched nuclear missiles.

A feature of the present invention is that it uses commonly availableparts to make a modification kit for converting a standard 40 footflat-bed trailec to an air launched nuclear missile transporter.

An advantage of the the present invention is that the modification kitmay be easily modified to carry different missiles and may be removed toallow the trailer to be used for other tasks.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a modification kit for converting astandard 40 foot flat-bed trailer to an air launched cruise missile(ALCM) transporter. The unique discovery of the present invention isthat the use of carefully selected commonly available parts will solvethe problem of providing extremely stable and secure transportation fornuclear missiles without the excessive expense of other more complexsolutions.

Accordingly, the present invention is directed to an apparatus andmethod for carrying missiles on a flat-bed trailer comprising first andsecond "H" beams attached to the trailer bed at their bottom flanges andhaving a missile handling unit attached to the "H" beams at their upperflanges. The missile handling unit is preferably attached at a first endto the first "H" beam and at a second end to the second "H" beam.

The "H" beams may be attached to the trailer bed by nuts and boltsextending through holes in the "H" beam bottom flanges and the trailerbed. The holes through the trailer bed may be reinforced by bushingsthrough the holes. The attachment of the "H" beams to the trailer bedmay be additionally reinforced by the use of bearing plates surroundingthe bolts between the bottom nut and the trailer bed. The attachment ofthe "H" beams along the side "C" channel trailer rails may be byhillside washers surrounding a bolt between its nut and the trailer bed.

The attachment of the missile handling unit to the "H" beam may be bysimilar nuts and bolts extending through the "H" beam top flanges.

The individual "H" beams may additionally include lifting handles to aidtheir installation and removal.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be more clearly understood from a reading ofthe following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a missile transporter showing the attachment ofair launched cruise missiles to a flat-bed trailer by the use of "H"beams mounted on the trailer;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing details of attachment of one end ofan "H" beam to the wood beams, side "C" channel and central I beams ofthe trailer bed;

FIG. 3 is a side cross-sectional partial view of the attachment of oneend of an "H" beam to the wood beams of the trailer showing the use ofbolt bushings.

FIG. 4 is a front cross-sectional partial view of the attachment of oneend of an "H" beam to a side "C" channel of the trailer bed; and,

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an "H" beam showing a lift handle usedto aid installing and removing the "H" beam and a general bolt holepattern.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to FIG. 1 of the drawings, there is shown a side view of amissile transporter 10 illustrating the attachment of air launchedcruise missiles 12 to a flat-bed trailer 14 by the use of "H" beams 16mounted on flat-bed trailer 14. Trailer 14 is a familiar 40 footflat-bed trailer with a primarily wood beam bed. The wood beams 24(shown in FIG. 2) run the length of trailer 14 supported between twooutside steel "C" channels 26 and interleaving steel "I" beams 27. The"C" channels 26 and "I" beams 27 also serve as part of the trailer bedsurface. In this particular embodiment, a trailer 14 having militaryspecification NSN 2330-00-125-3892 is used. Any 2330 class trailer canbe used.

"H" beams 16 are mounted in pairs across the trailer 14 surface to allowattachment of two missiles 12 to each pair of "H" beams 16. Conventionalmissile handling units 18 (MHU's), to which missiles 16 attach, arefirmly bolted to the top flanges of "H" beams 16. Each MHU 18 compr1sesthree primary components, a pair of MHU-162 supports 20 bolted to "H"beams 16 and an MHU-159 missile holder 22.

The perspective view of FIG. 2 shows several details of the attachmentof the bottom flange of one end of "H" beam 16 to the wood beams 24 andside "C" channel 26 of the trailer bed. An MHU-162 support 20 is shownin partial view mounted by bolts to "H" beam 16.

The side cross-sectional view of FIG. 3 shows the attachment of one endof an "H" beam 16 to the wood beams 24 of the trailer 14 utilizing steelbushings 28 to provide additional structural support for the bolting of"H" beam 16 to wood beams 24. Steel bearing plates 25 spread boltstresses across a wider surface of wood beams 24. Where a trailer withan all steel bed is used, the use of bushings and bearing plates may notbe necessary.

FIG. 4, showing a partial cross-sectional view of the bolting of one endof an "H" beam 16 to a side "C" channel 26 of the trailer bed,illustrates the use of a hillside washer 30 to provide a horizontalclamping surface for a bolt nut 32 and washer 34.

A lift handle 36, as shown in FIG. 5, aids installing and removing the"H" beam.

The disclosed missile transporter successfully demonstrates the low costuse of standard "off-the-shelf" parts adapted to accomplish aspecialized task.

It is understood that certain modifications to the invention asdescribed may be made, as might occur to one with skill in the field ofthe invention, within the intended scope of the claims. Therefore, allembodiments contemplated have not been shown in complete detail. Otherembodiments may be developed without departing from the spirit of theinvention or from the scope of the claims.

I claim:
 1. An apparatus for carrying missiles on a flat-bed trailer,comprising:(a) first and second "H" beams having a pair of top flangesand a pair of bottom flanges; (b) means for attaching the bottom flangesof the first and second "H" beams to the trailer bed; (c) at least onemissile handling unit having first and second ends; and, (d) means forattaching the missile handling unit to the top flanges of the first andsecond "H" beams.
 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein themeans for attaching the missile handling unit to the top flanges of thefirst and second "H" beams includes attachment of the first end of themissile handling unit to the top flanges of the first "H" beam and thesecond end of the missile handling unit to the top flanges of the second"H" beam.
 3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the means forattaching the first and second "H" beams to the trailer bed comprise aplurality of cooperating bolts, nuts and means defining holes throughthe bottom flanges and the trailer bed.
 4. The apparatus according toclaim 3, wherein the means defining holes through the trailer bedinclude bushings extending through the trailer bed.
 5. The apparatusaccording to claim 3, further comprising at least one bearing platesurrounding at least one bolt between it cooperating nut and the trailerbed.
 6. The apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising at leastone hillside washer surrounding at least one bolt between itscooperating nut and the trailer bed.
 7. The apparatus according to claim2, wherein the means for attaching the missile handling units to thefirst and second "H" beams comprise a plurality of cooperating bolts.nuts and means defining holes through the missile handling units and rhetop flanges.
 8. The apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the "H" beamsinclude lifting handles.
 9. A missile transporter, comprising:(a) atlat-bed trailer: (b) first and second "H" beams having a pair of topflanges and a pair of bottom flanges; (c) means for attaching the bottomflanges of the first and second "H" beams to the trailer bed; (d) atleast one missile handling unit having first and second ends; and, (e)means for attaching the first end of the missile handling unit to thetop flanges of the first "H" beam and the second end of the missilehandling unit to the top flanges of the second "H" beam.
 10. Theapparatus according to claim 9, wherein the means for attaching thefirst and second "H" beams to the trailer bed comprise a plurality ofcooperating bolts, nuts and means defining holes through the bottomflanges and the trailer bed.
 11. The apparatus according to claim 10,wherein the means defining holes through the trailer bed includebushings extending through the trailer bed.
 12. The apparatus accordingto claim 11, further comprising at least one bearing plate surroundingat least one bolt between it cooperating nut and the trailer bed. 13.The apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising at least onehillside washer surrounding at least one bolt between its cooperatingnut and the trailer bed.
 14. The apparatus according to claim 10,wherein the means for attaching the missile handling units to the firstand second "H" beams comprise a plurality of cooperating bolts, nuts andmeans defining holes through the missile handling units and the topflanges.
 15. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the "H" beamsinclude lifting handles.
 16. A method of transporting air launchedmissiles on the ground, comprising:(a) providing a flat-bed trailer; (b)attaching first and second "H" beams across the trailer bed, each "H"beam having a pair of top flanges and a pair of bottom flanges; (c)attaching a first end of a missile handling unit to the first "H" beamand a second end of the missile handling unit to the second "H" beam;and, (d) mounting an air launched missile on the missile handling unit.